Greetings, dear friend!
I hope you are well and getting ready to celebrate New Year's Eve. What will you do, stay at home with your family and friends or go out to have a fancy dinner in your preferred restaurant?
In France, New Year's Eve custom is to go out and get a delectable dinner in a good restaurant, maybe even in a cabaret, enjoying the show simultaneously. However, booking is a must.
Mum prefers to celebrate the New Year's arrival at home surrounded by family and friends. This year, she's thinking of preparing a buffet dinner, serving several different dishes and drinks – dips with raw vegetables, appetisers of all kinds, salmon and cheese rolls, small sausages, toasted petits fours – shortly, a full array of dishes to satisfy vegan and meat eater guests.
After dinner, everyone jumps on the metro, which is free for the occasion and heads to the Champs Elysées. It's a typical Parisian custom to celebrate New Year's Eve on the Champs, assisting the musical and artistic events, including the countdown and final fireworks display from the Arc de Triomphe. And when the clock strikes midnight, it's customary to toast the occasion with a glass of champagne, wishing everyone a happy new year and kissing them, whether you know the person or not. I'm not sure Mum is a fan of cheek-kissing!
Enough for today. I won't bother you further as you certainly have many things to prepare for. Don't hesitate to let me know how you'll celebrate the arrival of the New Year; I'd love to hear from you!
I wish you a pleasant celebration and an excellent start to the New Year! May it bring a lot of happiness to all of us!
Your loving writer,
Freddy
As promised, and to answer a general demand, Mum posted a few of her preferred recipes on the blog:
This brought back so many memories for me. I am enjoying your newsletters very much but can’t always reply. Will be better in the New year 😻 Happy New year to you all.
Aww Freddy this sounds wonderful! Mum would love to be in Paris for the new years celebrations. We will be at home but am enjoying working our way through your book!
Wishing you and your family a very happy new year ❤️❤️